Focused ion beams (FIB) are common instruments across semiconductor and material sciences, but despite their wide use, there are two major counterindications associated to their use: the speed in sample preparation and the contamination due to ion implantation. The recent advent of high-power inductively plasma sources allowed high current beams (up to 3.5 uA) therefore reducing the preparation speed. Further, since the sources are not limited to liquid metal alloys but can span across the entire range of noble gasses and reach highly reactive elements such as hydrogen and oxygen the sample preparation protocols can be optimized depending on the sample under study.
Taking advantage of the multigas-plasma FIB available at Monash University we tested the effects that different beams have on the same materials. Here, we present a detailed study of the damage induced by plasma focused ion beam milling on a large library of semi-conductor materials and carbon-based polymers.